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Published 09 Feb, 2013 01:22am

Sheer weight of numbers

LAHORE, Feb 8: Long vehicular queues due to traffic mismanagement and massive construction activities are a common sight these days.

Motorists have been facing inconvenience for the last many months due to simultaneous execution of road and public transport projects. The Punjab government is set to inaugurate the Metro Bus System project on Sunday (tomorrow), promising a relief to the motorists.

The project had been one of the major causes of roadblocks on The Mall, Jail Road, Ferozepur Road and many other places.

Tepa, traffic police and the Punjab Metro Bus Authority had closed most of the temporary provisions made for crossing the 27-km long MBS route from Gajjumata to Shahdara a few days ago, leaving the motorists in straits.

Traffic congestions on Garden Town-Jinnah Hospital Road, Bahawalpur Road, Lytton Road, Shahra-i-Fatima Jinnah (Qartaba Chowk to Punjab Assembly/The Mall), Bhekhawal to Barkat Market and Samanabad-LOS Link Road also are a routine.

“There is no option but to put up with long queues,” says Salman.

He told Dawn on Friday that the prolonged closure of Kalma Chowk due to construction of underpasses had made things difficult for motorists.

A City Traffic Police spokesman, Ali Nawaz, admitted there were traffic congestions.

“For the last two days, the city is really under severe traffic pressure. It is due to the ongoing projects -- Kalma Chowk underpasses and MBS track,” he said.

He said The Mall and Jail Road had been facing traffic congestions for the last two days because of the allied construction work.

“As the MBS inaugural ceremony is scheduled to be held on Sunday, the pace of work on various jobs has been accelerated,” he said.

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